Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,Whether summer clothe the general earthWith greeness, or the redbreast sit and singBetwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branchOf mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatchSmokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fallHeard only in the trances of the blast,Or if the secret ministry of frostShall hang them up in silent icicles,Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Scenes From My Week

A very wet Sunday morning in the herb garden at Hardwick Hall.

On Monday morning I finally caught a glimpse of the deer that I've been looking for on Blackamoor for nearly a year! They were passing through some woodland on Strawberry Lee Lane and were there and gone before I had chance to take many photos. What with them being on the move and B Baggins on his lead and equally interested in seeing them the few photos I did take were poor - but at least I saw them!

All week both in Ecclesall Woods and in the woodland areas on Blackamoor I've been assailed by the wonderful perfume of the wild honeysuckle which seems to be exceptionally abundant this year.

A close up - the honeysuckle does at least stand still:)

There are cattle on the moor at the moment, they are there to help control the bracken which is threatening to swamp the bilberries and heather. These seem to have lost their way and were on the path down from Lenny Hill to Strawberry Lee Lane. I finally managed to herd them back up into the woods - my calm 'Cush Cush's' were interrupted at intervals by yell's of 'STAY THERE' as B Baggins showed signs of making a closer inspection of them! Happily he did as he was told and all was well. I certainly had no intention of putting him on the lead in that narrow space!

These two friends I see every morning grazing in the field at the bottom of Shorts Lane.

On Thursday morning I was surprised to see these two young stags in the field just below where I park the car. Having looked in vain for nearly a year I saw the deer three times this week as they were up on Big Moor on Wednesday too but only on the skyline and much too far away for photographs. I shan't be around for the next week as we are off to our house in Lancashire today. I hope the weather turns out better than the forecast which appears to be wall to wall rain!

23 comments:

Lovely post, Rowan. Isn't it magical to catch a glimpse of deer? They are such secretive creatures. We were at Hardwick Hall a couple of weeks ago and the gardens were looking wonderful. You were very brave to herd the cows! Hope you enjoy your week away:)

Think about it: when I'm out of my flat, all I can see are cars, buses, people hurring at work/school, shops opening their doors while people shout to each other......how does it sound to you? Nothing alike what you see outside your home, right? Thanks for taking me along another walk!

I especialloy like the photo of the deer--called "buck" [for singular and plural] in the US.There were many around our last Wyoming home--not unusual to see one gazing in the diningroom window when the curtains were opened in the morning.I hope for the safety of both humans and dogs that the cattle on the moor don't include a bull or two.

Hello, thanks for calling in on my blog of my time at the museum in the Dales, I hope you enjoy and maybe you might even visit at some point!! I occasionally see deer around me but with my ever present collie -x I don't get much chance to take phoro's so its lovely to see yours. Regards

Your patience paid off - the deer are always beautiful to see. Looks like everywhere is lush and green Rowan, and I can almost smell the lovely perfume from the wild honeysuckle - just hope is dries up for your Lancashire visit.